Queensland digital drivers licences to be rolled out in Townsville then Queensland after delays

While motorists in other states are already able to use digital driving licences, Queensland’s planned trial has been plagued by multiple delays and still isn’t ready. Here’s why, and when you can expect to finally go digital.

The rollout of digital licences in Queensland has been plagued by multiple delays, with the opposition saying the government is lagging behind other states, but TransLink say it is expected to be rolled out soon after improvements were made.

The digital drivers licences were meant to be rolled out in Townsville by the end of 2022 but was delayed for multiple reasons.

“The delay was due to Covid affecting key resources such as programming and coding,” a TransLink spokesman said.

“As a result of recent data hacks against third party organisations, there is an increased demand for testing activities across the world, which also contributed to the delay.”

The trial will now be run in Townsville in the coming months, with a statewide rollout expected later in the year after a seven-month pilot program was trialled in the Fraser Coast region in 2020.

A digital licence trial will be rolled out in Townsville before going statewide. Picture: Supplied.

Shadow Minister for Transport, Main Roads and Customer Service Steve Minnikin said the program should have been implemented much earlier.

“Queenslanders are being left behind in this digital age, because the Labor Government doesn’t value innovation, technology, or customer service,” he said.

“While New South Wales enjoys an 80 per cent uptake on digital licence downloads, Queensland is stuck in the past.”

The TransLink spokesman said part of the delay was used to improve the standards of the app.

The new version of the app will comply with the international standard for mobile driving licences.

“This international standard will help jurisdictions build mobile driver's licence technologies that will work together, meaning Queenslanders could use their Digital Licence around Australia, and the world, wherever the standard has been adopted,” the spokesman said.

During the Townsville trial the app will be tested within the Safe Night Precinct. Vendors technology is being upgraded to integrate with the licence.

A digital licence trial will be rolled out in Townsville first. Picture: Supplied.

“New features have been added to the app following the Fraser Coast trial and include a new onboarding process that will allow customers to establish their digital identity, an updated look and feel and the ability to reset your app PIN,” the spokesman said.

“The app is also designed to be scalable, allowing for larger uptake of the app in preparation for statewide release.

“During the course of the expanded pilot additional features such as a signature and card number will also be added.”

The spokesman said the department have taken time to get the safety and security of the app right.

“The Digital Licence has undergone a range of specialist cyber security testing activities and will continue to be tested throughout the development of the app,” he said.

“Cyber security testing will continue once the app has been released statewide.”

Queenslanders will still have the option of using either their physical or digital card. NSW and South Australia already allow a digital version.

Originally published as Queensland digital drivers licences to be rolled out in Townsville then Queensland after delays